No. 26. — 1883.] PADDY CULTIVATION CUSTOMS. 



61 



the bane of crops and cattle, whose good will it is essential 

 to win over by a special sacrifice.* 



On the day selected, four or more women, after bathing 

 and dressing in clean cloths, husk the paddy previously set 

 apart for this dane, as before. When well beaten out they 

 place it in a room, which has been thoroughly cleansed, and 

 inform the Kapuwa summoned to officiate, who, filling a 

 chatty (nembillya) with the rice and muttering some incan- 

 tations, hands it over to the women. In the same room is 

 collected the rest of the food intended to be consumed at the 

 feast— e.g., oranges, sugar-cane, toddy, arrack, opium, fish 

 and meat, salt, milk, honey, vegetables, biscuits, cocoanuts, 

 and three kinds of plantains fas ratnamalu, puvala, and 

 kannannoru) . 



Some of the women-cooks pound the rice to flour, extract 

 oil, and fry cakes, seven of which they put into each of three 

 bags. Others are employed in cooking the dd?ie, for which 

 are required, in addition to the cakes, three chatties of boiled 

 rice (each containing three neVC)\ and seven curries made 

 with seven different kinds of vegetables. Everything should 

 not only be untasted, but prepared without so much as 

 blowing the fire with the mouth. 



Whilst the cooking is proceeding, the Kapurala constructs 

 a shelf (yahana) waist-high, and over it a cloth canopy 

 adorned with flowers. The cooking over, and all being ready, 

 the Kapurala, tying a piece of white cloth across his mouth, 

 enters the room. Upon the clean white cloth spread over 

 the yahana he arranges five plantain leaves, and on the 

 floor he lays a mat with a white cloth, and puts two other 

 plantain leaves there ; lastly, he uses a chair as a mal-bulat- 

 tattuwa. The dishes as cooked are placed in a line, the first 

 chatty nearest to the shelf, and so on. The Kapurala puts 

 some boiled rice into a ?iemblliya, and from it deposits a 

 little on each plantain leaf three times. With a cocoanut- 



* Note 10. 



f This is the number usual in the Galle District. In the Rayigam 

 and Siyan6 Korales, seven chatties of rice are provided, and seven plan- 

 tains ; and in the latter Korale the pounding of the paddy is done by two 

 men, called Kottoruwb, who have to purify themselves before com- 

 mencing. 



